"Flatty's" travels have ended.

Well, "Flatty" started his travel February 2 and slid into "home base" (school) on May 29, being UPS'd by his host mother in Ontario so that he could make it back on time before school ended. What a whirlwind adventure he had thanks to his many hosts! Thank you, Hosts!! Because of your kindness and generosity, "Flatty" traveled around the world leaving St. Louis flying to Hawaii; then Agery, Australia; Queensland, Australia; Germany; Spain; and ending in Ontario. Wow! He and his classmates learned a lot besides having fun w/him. He came back w/some new clothes that people made for him. It was too fun and educational! Thank you everyone! Visit Webshots or Facebook for pictures of his adventure.

Flat Jake in Ontario

This is the continuing adventures of Flat Jake, AKA “Flatty,” told by Ontario Host Janis Stewart:

Ontario was a very short visit but oh so sweet!

Flatty arrived in Wiarton at 10:30 AM on Wednesday May 27, 2009, for a short, whirlwind visit with Gord and Janis Stewart. He was so tired after his trip all the way across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain that he curled up with Holly, our cat, and had a little nap. It was pouring rain all day here and good napping weather.

Flatty did get up in the afternoon to inspect one of the quilts that I am working on for a customer in my studio at Quilts Unlimited. I was not running the computerized machine today as we get severe electrical storms and power interruptions so I did not want to risk having problems especially as I am working on a very fancy quilt on that machine for another customer which will go in a quilt show on June 12th and a quilt competition in September.

My husband, Gord, drives a school bus and enjoyed showing it to Flatty. We took Flatty for a drive into Wiarton to meet Wiarton Willie but Willie was hiding in his den. So, instead, we took some photos of Flatty at the Wiarton Willie statue. It was so foggy from the rain that you couldn’t see the water in the Bay. Wiarton Willie is our town’s albino (white) groundhog. They make sure he gets out on Ground Hog Day, February 2, to check if we’re going to have an extra 6 weeks of winter This year, he didn’t see his shadow…..so that meant 6 more weeks of winter!

Flatty helped me make some rhubarb pies. Yum! Do you eat rhubarb pies in High Ridge? They are so good, both sweet and tart at the same time. Rhubarb is a vegetable with long red stalks (that looks kind of like long, red celery) that are cut in small pieces and cooked although I remember eating them raw when I was young like Flatty. They are very sour though, and you really need to add sugar to sweeten them up.

Flatty arrived too late to go to my quilting group which meets every Tuesday evening at the local Quilt Shop. I think Flatty might have been a little bored at our meeting, but he certainly would have received lots of attention and heard lots of laughter and fun. He also missed going hiking with me on Monday when I hiked along the shore of Georgian Bay with two good friends and found a piece of driftwood that made an excellent new walking stick. But, he did arrive right in the middle of hockey play-offs and watched “Hockey Night in Canada” with Gord. Gord was going to take his classic truck to the first Cruise Night of the season tonight, but the rainy weather changed his plans, and he watched the hockey game instead.

I will tuck Flatty into bed early tonight because he will need to get up very early tomorrow morning to begin his trip home to High Ridge and Fenton. He will be taking a very fast trip home from Canada via UPS (United Parcel Service) and is scheduled to arrive at school Friday morning (May 29). Although his stay was very short, we sure are happy that he made it here as part of his big adventure. If he ever wants to visit again, perhaps we can give him a tour on the motorcycle, take him for a hike on the Bruce Trail, and maybe even a ride in an ultra-light aircraft to see our beautiful views from the air. We send “Greetings from Canada” home with Flatty to all of his classmates in Mrs. Owen’s class at Brennan Woods Elementary School and wish all of you a safe and happy summer.

Janet Stewart

Flat Jake in Spain

In Spain, my host family was Vilches Arcenegui family – Juan, Cristina, and Pablo, Cristina’s son who is 9 – one year older than me.

Spain is divided into 17 regions. My host family lives in Andalucia which is the largest region of Spain located in the southern region of the Iberian Peninsula. It is divided into 8 provinces with the capital being Sevilla. The town is called “Alcala de Guadaira”. That name comes from the Arabs who lived in the region for more than 500 years.

I arrived in Alcala de Guadaira on the 23^rd April, and the first thing we did was to get around Alcala. The town has 70,000 inhabitants and is 10 miles away from the capital of the region (Sevilla).

On the 25^th, we went to one of Juan’s cousins christening of two twin girls. First we went to church. Even though Spain is a multi-religion country, most people are Catholics although they are not very religious any more. It was a very big event. Spanish families are big. I mean, they enjoy getting together, parents, children, cousins, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents. They celebrate everything with their families: a baby’s birth, the christening, and First Communion at 10 years old, which is a really big day. At First Communion, all the family goes to church, and they have a big banquet celebration. And finally, the last event in any Spanish family is the wedding. So, the christening was the perfect event for me to meet the rest of the family. They were amazed of all the places I have gone, and they wished they could go with me just like my Daddy wishes.

I had a hard time trying to understand them because although I had already been taught some Spanish by Pablo, the people from this region speak quite fast so it was difficult to understand them. On top of that, Spaniards are quite noisy, especially when they get together like the day of the christening. Well, after the ceremony, we went to the “feria” to have a big meal. We started eating at 1400 hours (they do time in a 24 hour clock – 1400 in 24-hour clock is 2 p.m.) and finished at 1800 (6 p.m.). Why did it take so long? Because Spanish love talking so much! Everybody wants to talk with everybody! After that, we went to see the attractions; and, finally, I went off to bed after a long, fun day.

On Sunday, we went to the cinema to watch “Monsters vs Aliens” IN SPANISH. It sounded so weird. Then, I got to go to school with Pablo. He is in 3^rd course which is a level for children born in 2000. Education in Spain is mandatory from 6 years of age until 16. Then they can study 2 more years to prepare for the university. Pablo usually goes to school Monday to Friday from 0900 hour to 1400 hour (9 a.m. until 2 p.m). Then he stays to have lunch and then practice some sport or learn new skills like English language after 1700 hour (5 p.m.).

Well, I have been taken to Pablo’s school almost every day of my stay. Pablo’s colleagues were also delighted to meet me, and they all wanted to teach me all kind of plays. Spanish people love soccer and so do the kids. I wish I had pictures of Pablo’s school, but I wasn’t allowed to get any there because of security.

On April the 30^th, I travelled to Los Gallardos with Pablo and his father, Rafa. Los Gallardos is a very, very small village in the province of Almeria. We went there to stay for the bank holiday weekend. May 1^st is a bank holiday in Spain. They celebrate the day of “Work.” I had such a lovely time. We got to go to the beach. The weather was warm and sunny so I had the chance to see the Mediterranean Sea which is a warm sea. On our way back to Alcala, we crossed the very famous desert – The Tabernas’ Desert – known because many western American movies were filmed there – like “Laurence of Arabia” and “Conan”. In that desert, there is a complex called “Mini-Holliwood” which was famous way back in the 1960s and 70s for western movies like “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” and “For a Few Dollars More.”

The following week, I accompanied Pablo again to school, and in the afternoons I was able to see his mum working in her studio. She quilts quilts using in a very big quilting machine like my grandma Sandi uses. And her machine came from Iowa here in the United States – all that way it was shipped to Spain because they don’t make these machines other than in the United States.

By the way, Spanish people have a funny way of eating. They usually have a light breakfast, toasts and coffee, heavy lunch between 1400 hour and 1500 hour, a snack of pastries or a sandwich around 1800 hour and then a light dinner at 2100 hour or 2200 hour. Also, they go to bed around 2400 hour. During the summer, due to the heat, they have something called siesta (a nap) that means sleeping for 1 or 2 hours after lunch.

The following weekend we went to Sevilla on Saturday. I was taken to a patchwork shop first. It was full of surprises, beautiful quilts, dolls, etc. I was presented to the owner whose children are Americans since she is a married to a gentleman from San Francisco, so they spoke to me in English. When we left the shop, we went to see the Guadalquivir, which is the river that crosses Sevilla. This river is famous because in the XVI (16^th) century the Spanish used the city of Sevilla as the main port to America. This city was the most important of Europe in those years since all the ships that went to America departed from here.

After that we went to Naboo land, yes, I am not joking. Well, the proper name is Plaza de España, Spain’s Square. This is one of the favourite places in Sevilla for tourists and Sevillians. It was built for the Ibero-American exhibition of 1929. He mixed a style inspired by the Rennaissance with typical elements from the city. Plaza de España was used for one of the scenes in episode II of George Lucas in “Star Wars SAGA Attack of the Clones.”

After that, we went to have lunch and stayed the rest of the weekend with Pablo’s family – you know, cousins, uncles and all that.

Finally, on my last weekend in Spain, we went to the Medieval Castle of Alcala built by the Arabs located at bank of the river Guadaira.

Well, it was quite an experience since I was able to see those old walls, and I could imagine the warriors, Arabs, and Christians fighting. It was a very hot and sunny day. We had a lovely time as well. Oh, we went to church as well. That little church was built in the XIV (14^th) century, and it was so different from what I am used to see in the States - very small with old stones.

Then we went to a neighbor’s house where we had lunch. Their house is very typical here.

The following day we went to have a walk in the banks of the Guadaira River (an Arab’s name), and I got the chance to see The Dragon bridge, also know as the Gardian of the Castle. It is so cool with all those coloured tessellations. It is the only figurative bridge in Europe.

And finally, on Monday, I said goodbye to my Spanish family and took a plane to Ontario. The host family will forward me back to school as soon as she gets me because I need to be back by May 29^th. The US Mail takes a long, long time to get anywhere!

P.S. Juan, Cristina and Pablo said they had a lovely time with me and thanks everyone for letting them be a part of my travels. I was a good boy!

"Flatty's" leaving Spain on way to Ontario Canada

Well, Flat Jake had a wonderful time in Spain, and I'll be writing about his adventures as soon as I get them. Am also awaiting Spain pictures.

I just uploaded Queensland's pictures to my webshots and facebook that I just got from Leonie via snail mail and on a CD. Please be sure to take a look.

Also....time is coming to an end for "Flatty's" adventures as he has to be back to school by May 29. These international travel destinations have taken a long time to get to and from. But, what an adventure for "Flatty."

"Flatty's " adventures in Germany

FINALLY, I've made it to Germany! It has been a long travel from Australia to Europe but I made it just fine – and just in time for the Easter holidays! Please check out Grandma Sandi's Webshots to see my pictures. We don't know how to attach them here.

I'm staying with the Schueller family – Birgit and Thilo and their two children Colin (12) and Alisha (9). (My brother's name is Colin, too, only he's 4.) I'll stay here for 12 days from Thursday, April 9th till Tuesday, April 21st, 2009.

My host family lives in the Saarland which is the second smallest federal state of Germany. The Saarland is located in the South-West of Germany at the border to France. Birgit has mailed the map on these pictures to you and she has highlighted in pink the places we will visit. The little town I'm staying in right now is called “Riegelsberg”. Colin is pointing at it on the map with his finger (Webshots again).

After a good night sleep, I had to get up pretty early on the morning of Good Friday. Here in Germany, they call Good Friday “a silent holiday” – all the stores and shops are closed and most everybody is off from work and school. Even the church bells are silent on Good Friday in mourning Jesus' death – and that's why I had to get up early...To substitute for the church bells, the kids and youth of the parish walk the streets at 8am,
noon and 6pm making a terrible noise with selfmade wooden "instruments" called “Kleppern” (basically approx. 10”x8" boxes hanging around their necks on a string with a handle – when the handle is turned a wooden setup inside the boxes creates that terrible noise...). Colin and Alisha took me along and we met our group in front of their church. You won't believe the noise they made with those “Kleppern”! Thilo even recorded a short video to give you a visual and acoustic impression of what we did (http://www.thiloschueller.com/ftp/Kleppern.mpeg). The kids also have a rhyme they repeat all the time telling the people that the bells are silent in mourning and that the kids' noise is supposed to call people to mass. The last walking session was on Saturday morning at 8am (so, no sleeping in on Saturday either as I wanted to accompany the kids again...). Then all the kids meet for a joint breakfast at the parish's community center before they walked their streets again, ringing at the doors to collect donations for the church's servants and the kids' and youth' activities... This was a very different but very exciting experience for me.
After all this walking, I slept like a stone.

Following mass on Easter Sunday, Alisha and Colin let me participate in their Easter egg hunt in the garden. I piled up all my finds in front of some pretty daffodils and had Thilo take some pictures. Over here in Germany, Easter Monday is another holiday where everybody is off from school and work. How cool is that? Anyway, the weather was great, and after mass we packed a backpack picnic and everybody's hiking boots and off the Schuellers drove with me to Mettlach, a town the Saar river is flowing through. This town is the home of the headquarters of the famous tile, porcelain and bath ceramics manufacturer Villeroy & Boch. However, we didn't go shopping but parked our car there and took off into the woods for a beautiful hike. In Germany, distances are measured in kilometers (km) rather than miles. We took a windy trail from the banks of the Saar river walking up and down the slopes of the hills alongside the river. After 6 km (1 mile = 1.6 km – can you do the math?) we reached a very scenic point – the Cloef – from where you can overlook the so-called "Saarschleife” (Bend of the river Saar). The Cloef is located high above the point where the Saar river flows down from Saarbrücken, makes a gorgeous U-turn and flows on towards Trier. As this is one of the famous sights of the region, there is a tourist information office nearby. Birgit talked to a nice lady behind the counter who found her a number of brochures in English about the Saarland in general and the Saarschleife in particular. I've packed up these brochures in a big envelope and have mailed it off to school. As the mail needs to go by plane, it will take a while before my package will arrive. But believe me it's worthwhile waiting for it...

After having collected the brochures, we took a short break at a café and had some strawberry cake. Everybody was so hungry that the cake was gone before we thought of taking a picture. But it tasted
wonderfully! Next, Alisha and Colin wanted to show me the playground next to the café. They have been there before quite often and wanted to show me this terrific slide. Wow, that was lots of fun. I enjoyed the seesaw very much, too. Now, we had to go back. As the weather forecast had predicted thunderstorms for the later afternoon, we decided to take a slightly shorter route back to Mettlach. The rain started about 10
minutes before we reached the car. But luckily, I was securely packed away in my Aussie travel bag so that I stayed cozy and dry.

You won't believe where we had dinner that night! In a real brewery! They make their own brand of beer there and serve local specialties to eat. Thilo suggested that I had to try the “Gefillde mit Sauerkraut und Specksosse” (potato dumpling filled with ground meat, sauerkraut and creme sauce with ham). D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! After all this excitement and the wonderful food, I almost fell asleep in the car.

Tuesday brought my next adventure. The kids are still on spring vacation, so Alisha had some time to make me another outfit. Guess what she made me – a horseback riding outfit! She even made me a helmet! And in
the afternoon, I got to accompany her for her riding lesson! I've never been in a barn before – and today I got to not only help to clean and tack the horse but to sit on it together with Alisha! That was pretty high up there! Those horses are HUUUGE! To tell you the truth, I was pretty glad when I was back on the ground. But it was an exciting adventure. What I think is funny, though, is that although everybody speaks German here (luckily
Birgit and Thilo can translated for me, Colin has had English in school for almost two years now, so he's pretty good at communicating as well, and Alisha is just talking with her hands and feet and we get along wonderfully, too) a lot of the horses in that barn have English names! The horse Alisha and I rode on is called “Shadow”. You understand that, don't you? Would you ever consider calling your horse “Schatten” (which is the German word for “shadow”)?

On Wednesday, Birgit took the kids to Saarbrücken, the capital of the Saarland, to do some shopping. After we had everything on our list, we stopped on one of the bridges crossing the Saar river and took a few pictures to give you an impression of the surroundings.

In the afternoon, yet another adventure was waiting for me. This time, Colin took me along. He is a member of
the junior pole vaulting team of the Saarland and had a training session scheduled for the afternoon. It is absolutely fascinating to watch the kids run with those long poles and have themselves thrown up into the air and maneuver over the bar. I did NOT give this a try but insisted on having my picture taken together with Colin holding one of those “tooth picks”...

Thursday and Friday were pretty busy days as the family had to prepare a lot of things because Alisha will celebrate her First Communion on Sunday! And I'll be here to see her in her pretty dress!!! So, we had so much going on that we didn't find time to take some pictures. As it rained all day long, this was ok with me and I just relaxed for a bit.

On Saturday, Alisha's grandparents arrived for the big event the next day. I got to meet Opa Otto and Oma Karin! They stayed for two nights. We had coffee and cake and spend the afternoon playing a number of board games. Sunday was the big day for Alisha that she has been anxiously awaiting for so long! Uncountable guests arrived and the entire party went to church for the ceremony. After a two hour service, lots of congratulations and pictures taken, everybody returned to the house for a wonderful selection of food and lots of fun and talking. More pictures were taken throughout the day. The entire house and yard were humming with excited people and Alisha looked to very pretty in her white dress. Finally, we found a quiet moment to have a picture taken of her and I. Doesn't she look wonderful? Most of the guests left before the second service of the day in the early evening. Everybody was so very tired that night! While Colin had to go back to school on Monday after the Easter break, Alisha had another day off – but had to attend service at church to complete the official First Communion celebrations. Some friends and neighbors came over in the
afternoon to help eat the left-over cake and cookies.

Finally, on Tuesday, everyday life returned for Alisha as well. She had to go back to school – and took me
along to visit with her 3rd grade class. As her regular teacher still is on sick leave, the substitute teacher took
a picture of the entire class and I on the school's playground during break.

Well, and this is rounding off my adventurous stay with the Schueller family in Germany. As you can see, I'm
heading to Spain next to stay with Cristina. As Spain is another European country, this trip will take just a few days. Watch out for my next travel report from Spain!!!”
Love to all,
Flat Jake - "Flatty" as they nick-named me!!

P.S.from Birgit: Dear children, I hope you will enjoy hearing and reading about Flat Jake's adventures in Germany as much as my family enjoyed having him here and showing him around. I've mailed some brochures (in English) on our part of Germany your way last week and hope the package will arrive soon.
Everybody here who has gotten involved in either taking pictures of or being in a picture with Flat Jake loved this project and sends greetings to you! Have a wonderful summer.
Hugs, Birgit, Thilo, Colin & Alisha Schueller

Flat Jake Upcoming German Adventures

While staying w/Birigt Schuller in Riegelsberg, Germany, stay tuned for Flat Jake's German adventures.......but, he just went on a hiking tour there, and we'll learn more about that soon.

The rest of his plans include the following schedule:
Tuesday - accompany Alisha to her riding lesson
Wednesday - go watch Colin (Colin is also Jake's brother's name) during his pole vaulting training
Thursday - shopping trip to Saarbruecken
Friday - nothing planned yet
Saturday - meet Colin and Alisha's grandparents
Sunday - attend Alisha's first communion
School will start again here on April 20th
FJ goes to school with Alisha (3rd grade) on April 21st
Then he's off to visit w/Cristina in Spain.
Whew! Is he having fun!!!

Flat Jake Arrives Germany today!

Finally Flat Jake has arrived in Riegelsberg, Germany, today! It was a long trip after departing Queensland the end of March! He's just in time for Easter.